ORLANDO, Fla. – As Indianapolis Colts coach Chuck Pagano peruses his roster, he sees what could become an issue he'll have to address.

The thought, however, makes him smile.

See, the Colts now have numerous playmakers, but still will be limited to a single football. The addition of receiver Hakeem Nicks, the recovery of tight end Dwayne Allen, the comeback of receiver Reggie Wayne and the return of running backs Ahmad Bradshaw and Vick Ballard have Pagano feeling enthusiastic about his offense's potential in 2014.

"It's a good problem to have," Pagano said. "There's only one football. When you have great competitors and great players like we have, they all want the rock at the same time. They all certainly know you only have one football. It's a great situation that we have getting those guys back, getting Dwayne back, Ahmad, Vick (Ballard), Reggie (Wayne) and then adding Hakeem. It's a great situation."

After a 2013 season dominated by injuries that left the Colts hoping for unproven players to play key roles, the Colts think they'll have improved offensive depth next season.

Receiver and tight end are two areas the Colts suffered major losses. Wayne's return from knee surgery and the fact that the Colts believe Nicks is past his physical challenges of the last two seasons gives Pagano a renewed confidence in the position. Nicks, a big, physical receiver, adds the sort of player the Colts haven't had.

"Everybody is going to get up in your face and play bump and run and make it hard for you to get off the line of scrimmage," Pagano said. "He gives you a big physical presence. He'll do a great job against press coverage."

Meanwhile, T.Y. Hilton will be building on a remarkable sophomore season during which he had 327 receiving yards in two postseason games. He had a lull at midseason after the loss of Wayne to injury as defenses keyed on him and proved successful in taking him out of games.

At tight end, Allen's return from hip surgery — he recently declared himself 100 percent recovered — gives that unit an added dimension. Coby Fleener assumed the role of No. 1 tight end for 14 games last season, but the return of the well-rounded Allen brings big changes and makes a number of personnel combinations possible.

All of this should spell good news for quarterback Andrew Luck and, the Colts hope, create challenges for defenses.

Pagano said: "You have to kind of pick your poison and say, 'Okay who do we want to stop?'"

Among the other topics Pagano addressed during a wide-ranging interview at a posh resort in balmy central Florida:

The center position: "I think when you look at (Jeff) Saturday being with Peyton (Manning) all those years, you talk about continuity of the offensive line. Sure you'd like to have a guy who has been there for the long haul. That's why we've evaluated and took (Khaled) Holmes a year ago. ... He's a talented guy and the expectations are high for him. Then to bring in a guy like (Phil) Costa in the mix, who's to say there's not a guy? Time is going to tell. We feel like he might be sitting right there."

On losing Antoine Bethea to the 49ers: "It's tough to have to replace a guy that this organization had for eight years and played the way he played and did what he did for the Colts and the city. It's a harsh reality of today's NFL, you can't keep everybody and that's what hurt. But you have to move on. He's in a great place, we'll be in a great place. We have guys that are more than capable. ... We've got the draft coming up. There are some great safeties in the draft."

On Nicks: "(He has) big, big hands, can make huge plays, physical guy. Everybody is going to get up in your face and play bump and run and make it hard for you to get off the line of scrimmage. He gives you a big physical presence. He'll do a great job against press coverage."

On Arthur Jones' role: "I'm not going to pigeon-hole him by saying he's an inside guy or an outside guy. That's one of the things I've seen him do on tape since being with him in Baltimore and watching him this past year. He brings position flexibility to our front. He's played the nose, he's played the three (technique), and he can play (end). ... He knows our scheme. Terminology won't be an issue. It'll be a seamless transition."

On running backs Trent Richardson, Ahmad Bradshaw and Vick Ballard: "There's going to be great competition there. You have to have one guy you call your bell cow, who is going to get the lion's share of the snaps. We have a lot of options there."

On his power-football emphasis: "That will never change. You're going to hear that until they run me out of there. From a mindset standpoint, it all starts with running the ball and stopping the run. We do have a great quarterback with a great arm and he has weapons to throw to. Certainly, we understand that and we know that, so it's nice to know that you can do that. ... You want to be a physical football team on both sides of the football and on special teams. I don't think dropping back and throwing it every time will develop that mindset."